NC Highway Patrol stepping up training to combat school shootings

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HIGH POINT, N.C. -- The North Carolina Highway Patrol is stepping up its active shooter training in schools by downloading school floor plans and emergency numbers to make it easier for them to get around during an emergency.

"Everything I want to know about where something is going on within that school, I'm looking at before I even get there," said Trooper Chris Knox.

Within seconds, he and other state troopers can look up floor plans, aerial views and emergency numbers for every school in Guilford, Rockingham, Randolph and six other counties through a system which they can access on the laptops in their squad cars.

"They can have that plan and not have to think about what to do once they get there," Knox said.

It's all part of the State Highway Patrol's active shooter training.

Troopers already have to go through mandatory hands-on training in schools once a year.

But now they'll be able to get around even faster with critical information at their fingertips.

"One of the priorities is making sure that our students are as safe as possible," said Edward Wohlgemuth, principal of Florence Elementary School.

Wohlgemuth says the new technology will be a good match for his plans of beefing up security at the school.

Along with changing security locks throughout campus, the school is also upgrading how visitors check in.

Instead of just scanning a driver's license, a new system will use that information to run a name against a sex offender registry for anyone who comes to campus.

"Whether it's the first day of school or any day thereafter, I want to make them as safe as possibly can be as well as my staff," he said.